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Relgimism
Introduction Relgimism - a modern term derived from the draconic word “Relgim”, meaning “Element” - is an animistic faith that originated from the diverse pagan beliefs and oral traditions of the ancient dragons of Europe, often connected to myths of the creation of the race (see Crud Cerrig above), and which first took coherent shape in the dying days of the Western Roman Empire (c. 400 - 476). As a result, Relgimist fables vary significantly from region to region, and are downright contradictory in places, but all emphasise the importance of ancestral worship and the veneration of all forms of life, and include an elaborate pantheon of Gods or “High Spirits”. In the modern age, two major divisions are recognised by dragonkind; *Northern Relgimism, also known as Orthodox or Sekeolasian Relgimism. *Southern Relgimism, also known as Secular or Avalarian Relgimism. The Relgimist Pantheon The two chief deities of the Relgimist pantheon are Ro’Silios; the Lady of Life, and the Goddess of Hope, and her mate Ro’Denthanus; the Lord of Protection, and the God of Fear. In all accounts, the two Gods are born in darkness - in some versions, Ro’Silios creates Ro’Denthanus to have as a mate, in others, he comes into being alongside her - and mate to bring forth the next generation of Gods who hatch from a varying number of eggs; the shells of which are later used to create the world. *Ro’Sikstra; the Lady of Charity and the Goddess of Light, and her mate Ro’Whedabra; the Lord of Secrecy and the God of Shadow. *Ro’Morne; the Lady of Love and the Goddess of Fire, and her mate Ro’Gul; the Lord of Strength, and the God of Ice. *Ro’Nixeu; the Lord of Wisdom and the God of Electricity, and his mate Ro’Suacoic; the Lady of Guile and the Goddess of Wind. *Ro’Imgodid; the Lord the Hunt and the God of Poison, and his mate Ro’Gemuth; the Lady of the Harvest, and the Goddess of Earth. These ten dragons make up the major deities of the Relgimist pantheon, although a few other figures exist. In some accounts, after the birth of their children, Ro’Denthanus flees after seeing his fearsome visage, but returns at the urging of his children when Ro’Silios’ grief leads her to dream dark thoughts and bring monsters into the realm. After Ro’Denthanus returns and vanquishes the worst of these beings, two new spirits come into being; Ro’Gavir, the God of Order, and Ro’Rygat, the Goddess of Chaos. As with the rest of the Relgimist fables, their exact origins differ massively depending on which account is being referred to; in some accounts, Ro’Gavir and Ro’Rygat are the result of Ro’Silios and Ro’Denthanus mating after reconciling with one another, while in others, they are simply born from the darkness after the defeat of the monsters. In addition to that, during the creation of the world, Ro’Silios and Ro’Denthanus’ hatchlings mate amongst themselves and have hatchlings of their own, who in turn help shape the creation of the world; *Ro’Arcaniss; Goddess of Magic, who is born to Ro’Sikstra and Ro’Whedabra. *Ro’Qumadoi; God of Water, who is born to Ro’Morne and Ro’Gul. *Ro’Kepeski; God of Storms, who is born to Ro’Nixeu and Ro’Suacoic. *Ro’Navniki; Goddess of Nature, who is born to Ro’Imgodid and Ro’Gemuth. Due to differences between the accounts, many scholars believe these Gods were added to the pantheon at a later date - with their “parents” being considered the rulers of their domains prior to this point - and represent either distinguished leaders of the early draconic clans, or lesser mythological figures - for instance, Ro’Gavir is generally thought to be a Northern Relgimist variation of the “Chronicler”; a figure who shows up in early Southern Relgimist tales as a servant of the ten major deities, rather than an equal, and Ro’Rygat is equated with a trickster spirit known as “Vagas” who is thought to have originated in Sekeolath as a draconic equivalent of the Germanic God Loki, although another theory suggests that she is linked to the mysterious “Theran Priestess” figure, who is responsible for the destruction of Thera in Savrakon tradition (see “Duchy of Valignatir” entry). Spirits and the Afterlife A core teaching in all variations of Relgimism is the idea that all living creatures on Earth have a spirit which lives on after their deaths, and which - if good - helps to tend the planet and watch over the next generation of their species. If a spirit was particularly virtuous in life, and gained the favour of one of the deities of the Relgimist pantheon, they will be raised to the level of “High Spirit” - an angel-like position that is also considered an equivalent of sainthood. Tradition - primarily Northern Relgimist - dictates that High Spirits have the responsibility of overseeing the “lesser” spirits, and as a result, they are said to have unique abilities that grant them power over the lesser spirits and even allow them - or lesser spirits under their jurisdiction - to manifest on Earth in times of great need. __FORCETOC__